Who Should I Start? Jordan Akins or Juwan Johnson

Saturday, January 4, 9:50 PM

Cleveland Browns tight end Jordan Akins caught six of his eight targets for 60 yards and a touchdown in a 35-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18. Akins caught Bailey Zappe's lone touchdown pass in the contest on a 16-yard reception in the fourth quarter. The veteran tight end turned in a strong showing starting in place of the injured David Njoku (knee) over Cleveland's final two games of the season, catching 12 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. Akins is an unrestricted free-agent heading into the offseason as he will hope to parlay his strong performance at the end of the season into a new contract somewhere in 2025.

Monday, January 6, 2:30 AM

New Orleans Saints tight end led the team in receptions and yards for the second week in a row in Sunday's 27-19 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He finished the day with six catches for 80 yards, beating the season-high he set just last week. With Chris Olave (concussion) sidelined for the season finale, rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler looked to his tight ends often. Of Rattler's 240 passing yards on the day, 122 went to the trio of Johnson, Foster Moreau (knee), and Dallin Holker. Despite the multiple injuries that drained the Saints of their biggest playmakers, little was asked of Johnson to pick up the slack until the last two games of the season. Still, he will finish 2024 with career highs in receptions (50) and receiving yards (548). The 28-year-old converted wide receiver is set to become a free agent in the coming offseason.